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Story
March 2, 1944
Roanoke Rapids Herald
Roanoke Rapids, Halifax County, North Carolina
What is this article about?
Court transcript of cross-examination in libel case where Carroll Wilson, NC Highway Commissioner, sues Roanoke News for $10,000 over article alleging favoritism, minimal road building, and personal road repair with taxpayer money. He defends projects, denies personal gain, seeks vindication.
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PAGE 6 SECTION B
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discussed the report with the various people in Raleigh.
Q. You did admit the man did have counsel and it was furnished by the State Highway Commission. Had that counsel ever presented a bill to the Highway Commission for his services would it not have been paid out of the funds of the district you are Highway Commissioner of?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. I believe Mr. Ross answered that question. My understanding is it would have been charged to the section on which he was working.
Q. Now I will ask you in the same article which you introduced yesterday as evidence in this case, man, Supervisor, hauled people to the polls for the purpose of voting--that is in the article?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. That is in the article.
Q. You have brought this action of libel against the Roanoke News?
A. Yes.
Q. You have also brought an action for libel against Mr. Turner individually which is pending in this court?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. And in the case we are trying you are suing for $10,000?
A. Yes.
Q. You are suing Turner individually for how much?
A. $25,000.
Q. There is also an action pending in this court against Dr. Nicholson, the gentleman right here, that you brought?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. How much are you suing Dr. Nicholson for?
A. $25,000.
Q. $25 plus $25 plus 10 thousand--$60,000?
A. I don't believe you figured that right.
Q. And you said on the stand yesterday that everything on earth you wanted out of this suit was vindication, you did not want any money?
A. I did not make any such statement that all I wanted was vindication.
Q. You want something else?
A. I did not make the statement yesterday but I make the statement now that all I want is vindication.
Q. That is, the article you are asking vindication on and not for $10,000?
A. Yes.
Q. "It has been fourteen months since Governor Broughton gave his stooge, Carroll Wilson"--I believe you said the word stooge was ugly?
A. I said it was ugly sounding.
Q. You are not asking any vindication for being called stooge?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. Then if the word stooge means a helper, literally for a man on the stage helping an actor, that is what you are asking for if that is what stooge means?
A. Stooge means more than that.
Q. Are you asking for any damages because that article says you got a political plum when you were appointed Highway Commissioner?
A. Yes.
Q. That is damaging?
A. Yes.
Q. That was not a plum?
A. No.
Q. That has damaged your character?
A. Yes.
Q. "Just two new roads have been built in Halifax County so far as we know in all those fourteen months" -what two roads have you built?
COURT: Can you answer the question which has been asked you without reference to your private records and memoranda or not?
A. Your Honor. I would like to have an opportunity to look through my records so that I can answer the question properly.
A. The road between Weldon and the Country Club was rebuilt and a bridge built across the creek during that fourteen months' period. The other road referred to was not built; that road was repaired a matter of maintenance,
COURT:
Q. Are you referring to the road from Thelma to the river?
A. Yes, the road that is charged as my private road.
Q. Go ahead.
A. Project 1368, 5 miles of grading and concrete pavement on U. S. 158 between Roanoke Rapids and Littleton. The contract was let in April 1941 and the work was completed in December, 1941, at an approximate cost of $142,000. Another project was the new bridge over Fishing Creek on N. C. Route 48 built during the summer of 1942 from the Betterment Fund.
Q. Was the road from Roanoke Rapids to Littleton a new road?
A. It was new construction. It is what we call construction because the road surface was torn up and a new road surface put on from top to bottom: what we call construction, completely different from maintenance.
Q. Go ahead.
A. The new project over Fishing Creek was built during the summer of 1942. Betterment Fund was used in the amount of $16,500 to cover the cost of that construction. There was another road on which we were able to start construction during this period between Scotland Neck and Palmyra. The road was already there but had not been surfaced.
Q. Any more?
A. Those are the only construction jobs that we were permitted to do because on December 7, 1941, we had Pearl Harbor. I had been in office only eight months then.
Q. Any more roads?
A. We had plans for other roads. Plenty of roads were repaired all over the county.
Q. You knew all of that from the time this article was published up to now?
A. Yes.
Q. Yet you had to refer to your files to tell the jury what roads you built?
A. No, I wanted to get the amounts and number of roads to keep the record straight.
Q. The road from Thelma to the river was built or repaired as you say under your term of office while you were commissioner?
A. Yes.
Q. You knew about it?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you order it done?
A. No.
Q. You had nothing to do with it?
A. Yes. the road was reported to me as being in bad shape.
Q. Who reported it to you?
A. Several people.
Q. Who were they?
A. Mr. Sam Young, Mr. John King-I am not sure whether Mr. Pendleton did or not.
Q. Did Mr. Pendleton, Mr. King or Mr. Young live on that road?
A. No, they were asked to report it to me by people living on the road.
Q. How do you know?
A. That is what they told me.
Q. No human being that lives on that road from the river to Thelma has ever asked you to repair that road?
A. No.
Q. Yet you repaired that road as soon as three men complained to you about the condition of the road?
A. I asked Mr. Gore to go out and see if the road needed repair. I first asked him if it was on the system and then asked him to make the investigation of the road and see if it could be repaired and put in passable condition.
Q. How long had you been Commissioner of the district then?
A. I would say a year, fourteen months, I believe the Roanoke News said.
Q. You do know that the money spent for building or repairing this road was highway money?
A. Yes.
Q. And it was taxpayers' money?
A. Yes.
Q. That part of the article is true?
A. Yes.
Q. So when he said that the taxpayers' money was spent on that road that is certainly the truth-the highway money paid that bill?
A. Yes, but not for my private use.
Q. The highway money paid for fixing that road?
A. Yes.
Q. Mr. Wilson, you were on the stand at the last term of court as a witness?
A. Yes.
Q. I will ask you under oath if you did not then make the statement that you had furnished a man named Liles with whiskey for political purposes?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. Were you bending backwards to do a thing like that when you were furnishing whiskey for political purposes in Halifax County?
A. That was before I was Highway Commissioner.
Q. Have you reformed since you have been Highway Commissioner?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes, I would say I have.
Q. How long ago has it been since you furnished Liles with whiskey for political purposes?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. I would say four or five years ago.
Q. I believe you said yesterday you took a non-suit in this case on account of not speaking to Judge Parker or he not speaking to you that you could not get a fair trial?
A. I did not say that.
Q. That you had rather some other Judge try it; that you could get along better with some other Judge?
A. I did not say that.
Q. What did you say about Judge Parker?
A. I said because of the feeling that existed between us that I told my counsel to non-suit the case, and to re-enter it just as soon as they could after Judge Parker's term was ended.
Q. Is that what you said?
A. In substance that is what I said.
Q. Then you say there is nothing in that record that you said you thought you could get along better before some other Judge than you could with Judge Parker?
A. That is not in the record.
Q. You did not want him to try it?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. No.
Q. Since you took the non-suit have you had any conversation with the Governor about this case?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you carry an affidavit up there by a man named Blocker?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. No.
Q. You have had a conference with the Governor about it?
A. Yes.
Q. He called you up-did he not have you up there in regard to the matter?
A. Yes.
Q. That is when you told him, and the first time you dreamed about bringing a suit again is when you had the conversation with the Governor?
A. No.
Q. Is not that why you brought this suit again against him after taking a non-suit, because you went to the Governor and talked to him about this case?
A. No.
Q. You did talk to him about it?
A. Yes.
Q. Was the suit pending at that time?
A. No.
Q. When you got through talking to him you came back and started the suit?
A. No.
Q. How long after you talked with the Governor before, you brought the suit?
A. Just a matter of a few days.
Q. I will ask you did you not have a time limit in which you were to bring the suit when you left there?
A. I told the Governor and my counsel told the Governor, what time we intended to re-enter the suit.
Q. What time?
A. I have forgotten the date at this particular moment, but the date was set because that was the
(Continued from Preceding Page)
discussed the report with the various people in Raleigh.
Q. You did admit the man did have counsel and it was furnished by the State Highway Commission. Had that counsel ever presented a bill to the Highway Commission for his services would it not have been paid out of the funds of the district you are Highway Commissioner of?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. I believe Mr. Ross answered that question. My understanding is it would have been charged to the section on which he was working.
Q. Now I will ask you in the same article which you introduced yesterday as evidence in this case, man, Supervisor, hauled people to the polls for the purpose of voting--that is in the article?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. That is in the article.
Q. You have brought this action of libel against the Roanoke News?
A. Yes.
Q. You have also brought an action for libel against Mr. Turner individually which is pending in this court?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. And in the case we are trying you are suing for $10,000?
A. Yes.
Q. You are suing Turner individually for how much?
A. $25,000.
Q. There is also an action pending in this court against Dr. Nicholson, the gentleman right here, that you brought?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. How much are you suing Dr. Nicholson for?
A. $25,000.
Q. $25 plus $25 plus 10 thousand--$60,000?
A. I don't believe you figured that right.
Q. And you said on the stand yesterday that everything on earth you wanted out of this suit was vindication, you did not want any money?
A. I did not make any such statement that all I wanted was vindication.
Q. You want something else?
A. I did not make the statement yesterday but I make the statement now that all I want is vindication.
Q. That is, the article you are asking vindication on and not for $10,000?
A. Yes.
Q. "It has been fourteen months since Governor Broughton gave his stooge, Carroll Wilson"--I believe you said the word stooge was ugly?
A. I said it was ugly sounding.
Q. You are not asking any vindication for being called stooge?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. Then if the word stooge means a helper, literally for a man on the stage helping an actor, that is what you are asking for if that is what stooge means?
A. Stooge means more than that.
Q. Are you asking for any damages because that article says you got a political plum when you were appointed Highway Commissioner?
A. Yes.
Q. That is damaging?
A. Yes.
Q. That was not a plum?
A. No.
Q. That has damaged your character?
A. Yes.
Q. "Just two new roads have been built in Halifax County so far as we know in all those fourteen months" -what two roads have you built?
COURT: Can you answer the question which has been asked you without reference to your private records and memoranda or not?
A. Your Honor. I would like to have an opportunity to look through my records so that I can answer the question properly.
A. The road between Weldon and the Country Club was rebuilt and a bridge built across the creek during that fourteen months' period. The other road referred to was not built; that road was repaired a matter of maintenance,
COURT:
Q. Are you referring to the road from Thelma to the river?
A. Yes, the road that is charged as my private road.
Q. Go ahead.
A. Project 1368, 5 miles of grading and concrete pavement on U. S. 158 between Roanoke Rapids and Littleton. The contract was let in April 1941 and the work was completed in December, 1941, at an approximate cost of $142,000. Another project was the new bridge over Fishing Creek on N. C. Route 48 built during the summer of 1942 from the Betterment Fund.
Q. Was the road from Roanoke Rapids to Littleton a new road?
A. It was new construction. It is what we call construction because the road surface was torn up and a new road surface put on from top to bottom: what we call construction, completely different from maintenance.
Q. Go ahead.
A. The new project over Fishing Creek was built during the summer of 1942. Betterment Fund was used in the amount of $16,500 to cover the cost of that construction. There was another road on which we were able to start construction during this period between Scotland Neck and Palmyra. The road was already there but had not been surfaced.
Q. Any more?
A. Those are the only construction jobs that we were permitted to do because on December 7, 1941, we had Pearl Harbor. I had been in office only eight months then.
Q. Any more roads?
A. We had plans for other roads. Plenty of roads were repaired all over the county.
Q. You knew all of that from the time this article was published up to now?
A. Yes.
Q. Yet you had to refer to your files to tell the jury what roads you built?
A. No, I wanted to get the amounts and number of roads to keep the record straight.
Q. The road from Thelma to the river was built or repaired as you say under your term of office while you were commissioner?
A. Yes.
Q. You knew about it?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you order it done?
A. No.
Q. You had nothing to do with it?
A. Yes. the road was reported to me as being in bad shape.
Q. Who reported it to you?
A. Several people.
Q. Who were they?
A. Mr. Sam Young, Mr. John King-I am not sure whether Mr. Pendleton did or not.
Q. Did Mr. Pendleton, Mr. King or Mr. Young live on that road?
A. No, they were asked to report it to me by people living on the road.
Q. How do you know?
A. That is what they told me.
Q. No human being that lives on that road from the river to Thelma has ever asked you to repair that road?
A. No.
Q. Yet you repaired that road as soon as three men complained to you about the condition of the road?
A. I asked Mr. Gore to go out and see if the road needed repair. I first asked him if it was on the system and then asked him to make the investigation of the road and see if it could be repaired and put in passable condition.
Q. How long had you been Commissioner of the district then?
A. I would say a year, fourteen months, I believe the Roanoke News said.
Q. You do know that the money spent for building or repairing this road was highway money?
A. Yes.
Q. And it was taxpayers' money?
A. Yes.
Q. That part of the article is true?
A. Yes.
Q. So when he said that the taxpayers' money was spent on that road that is certainly the truth-the highway money paid that bill?
A. Yes, but not for my private use.
Q. The highway money paid for fixing that road?
A. Yes.
Q. Mr. Wilson, you were on the stand at the last term of court as a witness?
A. Yes.
Q. I will ask you under oath if you did not then make the statement that you had furnished a man named Liles with whiskey for political purposes?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes.
Q. Were you bending backwards to do a thing like that when you were furnishing whiskey for political purposes in Halifax County?
A. That was before I was Highway Commissioner.
Q. Have you reformed since you have been Highway Commissioner?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. Yes, I would say I have.
Q. How long ago has it been since you furnished Liles with whiskey for political purposes?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. I would say four or five years ago.
Q. I believe you said yesterday you took a non-suit in this case on account of not speaking to Judge Parker or he not speaking to you that you could not get a fair trial?
A. I did not say that.
Q. That you had rather some other Judge try it; that you could get along better with some other Judge?
A. I did not say that.
Q. What did you say about Judge Parker?
A. I said because of the feeling that existed between us that I told my counsel to non-suit the case, and to re-enter it just as soon as they could after Judge Parker's term was ended.
Q. Is that what you said?
A. In substance that is what I said.
Q. Then you say there is nothing in that record that you said you thought you could get along better before some other Judge than you could with Judge Parker?
A. That is not in the record.
Q. You did not want him to try it?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. No.
Q. Since you took the non-suit have you had any conversation with the Governor about this case?
A. Yes.
Q. Did you carry an affidavit up there by a man named Blocker?
Plaintiff objects, overruled.
A. No.
Q. You have had a conference with the Governor about it?
A. Yes.
Q. He called you up-did he not have you up there in regard to the matter?
A. Yes.
Q. That is when you told him, and the first time you dreamed about bringing a suit again is when you had the conversation with the Governor?
A. No.
Q. Is not that why you brought this suit again against him after taking a non-suit, because you went to the Governor and talked to him about this case?
A. No.
Q. You did talk to him about it?
A. Yes.
Q. Was the suit pending at that time?
A. No.
Q. When you got through talking to him you came back and started the suit?
A. No.
Q. How long after you talked with the Governor before, you brought the suit?
A. Just a matter of a few days.
Q. I will ask you did you not have a time limit in which you were to bring the suit when you left there?
A. I told the Governor and my counsel told the Governor, what time we intended to re-enter the suit.
Q. What time?
A. I have forgotten the date at this particular moment, but the date was set because that was the
What sub-type of article is it?
Historical Event
What themes does it cover?
Justice
Deception
What keywords are associated?
Libel Trial
Highway Commissioner
Road Construction
Political Appointment
Public Funds Misuse
Vindication
What entities or persons were involved?
Carroll Wilson
Mr. Turner
Dr. Nicholson
Governor Broughton
Where did it happen?
Halifax County, North Carolina
Story Details
Key Persons
Carroll Wilson
Mr. Turner
Dr. Nicholson
Governor Broughton
Location
Halifax County, North Carolina
Event Date
1942 1943
Story Details
Cross-examination of Highway Commissioner Carroll Wilson in libel suit against Roanoke News, defending appointment as political plum, road construction achievements, repair of personal road with public funds, past provision of whiskey for political purposes, and conversations with Governor about the case.